1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fabrication of furniture and the like, and more particularly concerns the method and apparatus for performing radius corners.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the manufacture of furniture such as tables, countertops and other similar items, it is often desirable to place moldings around the edges of a generally planar surface. The purpose of such moldings is to cover the edges of the base material of the table which may be a composition board material. In addition, such moldings often improve the wear resistance of the table, as well as enhance the aesthetic appearance of the table.
When moldings are used in this manner, it is often necessary to fabricate radius corners which are able to accommodate the corners of the table. However, the formation of such radius corners is often very difficult. One method for forming radius corners is to first cut a piece of bulkstock to the general shape of the corner of the table top, and then sequentially sand and measure the radius corner until a proper fit is attained. Another method for forming a radius corner is to first from the inside surface of the radius corner and then attach the inside surface of the bulkstock to the corner of the table by means of an adhesive. Once the adhesive has hardened, the bulkstock may be machined sanded and finished to match the remainder of the molding which will be used to form the table.
While the methods described above have been generally successful in forming radius corners, they often have several disadvantages. First, such methods for forming radius corners are often time consuming, requiring the craftsman to spend a substantial amount of time in machine set-up, shaping, sanding and then trimming the radius corner to get the proper fit. This procedure becomes even more difficult when the radius corner is to match profiled linear molding having a bullnose, bevel groove which can eventually contain decorative strip. Furthermore, if the bulkstock were first attached to the corner of the table before machining the profile, the entire table would generally have to be moved so that a profile could be formed on the exterior surface of the radius corner, or machined with a portable router with bearing guide tooling or special fixturing to guide the router. This could also limit the accuracy of the radius corner profile to the lineal molding by use of standard router bits available.